How To Differentiate Yourself As A Creator
Happy Sunday, creators!
Congrats to all our creators who crushed it this week:
13,464 creators earned something
10,351 creators earned more than $10
3,706 creators earned more than $100
633 creators earned more than $1,000
41 creators earned more than $10,000
1 creator earned more than $100,000
And today, we’re covering:
The effective strategy behind KP’s approach to building in public
How Jose Rosado went independent and became a full-time creator
How to create your differentiation factor
Let’s jump in.
Building In Public Started As A Way To Get Quality Feedback
KP joined the no-code community in November 2018.
What he quickly noticed was that he had an unfair advantage.
He didn’t have any distribution other than 200 followers, which equaled creating content that got lost in the void.
This resulted in extreme lengths between version one and version two of a product because he wouldn’t receive any qualitative feedback that he could use to iterate.
KP knew that if he wanted to build something special, then things had to change.
So, he started building in public to get the daily quality feedback that would help him build his products.
It Started With Telling The Truth About Each Day
This changed the angle at which KP created content.
Instead of focusing on the end product, KP focused on sharing the process of creating the product, which attracted people who shared the same values and interests.
And it started resonating with people.
On top of that, it changed how KP evaluated his progress.
He got out of the rat race, started celebrating the daily wins, whether big or small, knowing that each win was one step closer to the end goal.
And through KP’s content, he shared this journey which developed his identity as the “Build In Public Guy.”
Because On The Internet You Need A Wedge
When building an audience, it’s key to develop an identity that people know you for or associate you with.
Why?
KP says, “On the internet, you need a wedge. You need to be remembered by one anchor point for a while before you become the Garyvee.”
And for creators, this is determined by the content they create consistently.
Your Story Is Your Distribution
Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
As a creator, it’s no different.
If you’re building a product for 7 hours, you should also be working on the distribution and marketing of that product.
KP does this by sharing the story behind the product while it gets developed, resulting in an audience who craves the final product.
Share your first draft.
Share your journey.
Build a community around your product.
That’s building in public.
To purchase KP’s Build In Public Swipe File, then click here.
To follow KP’s journey as a creator, follow him on Twitter here.
What’s Happening In The Creator Economy
Are you a front-end engineer looking to join the Gumroad team? Apply here.
82 tips for aspiring creators
Here’s how Gumroad compares to its competitors
Sahil Lavingia on scaling Gumroad, how we work, and what to expect in 2021
How Jose Rosado Went Independent And Became A Full-Time Creator
Have you been hesitant about taking the leap to go from a 9-5 job to an independent creator?
Jose Rosado took this leap and hasn’t looked back since.
He “started throwing flying kicks to see if he’d land any and landed many.”
Meaning, he didn’t wait for opportunities to fall in his lap, he was trying different things to see how he could become independent.
And from here, Jose started becoming a full-time creator by learning how to:
Build a personal brand on Twitter
How to research for the products and content people want
Create products people want
Incorporate affiliate marketing
You can listen to both part 1 and part 2 of the episode here.
Your Skillset Is Your Differentiation Factor
Think of your skills as individual neurons.
When by themselves, they’re simple units but together, they’re a complex system.
Your skillset as a creator is no different.
In the creator economy, the most successful creators are not only masters of their craft, but they also develop other skills that complement their craft.
For example, the artist who is also a great marketer.
Or the writer who is an excellent podcaster.
Combining different skills elevates the playing field that you can compete, giving you leverage to stand out from other creators.
You can view our Instagram to see a step-by-step process to developing your skill stack to help you stand out as a creator.
Until next week,
The Gumroad Team